Work advancing and rotating apparatus



A. M. COHAN wonx ADVANCING AND ROTATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 26, 1963 June 22, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l 1NVENTOR.' ALVIN M. COHAN and/9min! ATTORNEYS June 22, 1965 A. M. COHAN WORK ADVANCING AND ROTATING APPARATUS 5 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1963 mm mm mm mm mm INVENTOR: ALVIN M. COHAN ATTORNEYS June 22, 1965 A. M. COHAN 3,190,463

WORK ADVANGING AND ROTATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 26, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 s .h. j] INVENTOR. ALVIN M.COHAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,190,463 WGRK ADVANCING AND RQTATHNG APPARATUS Alvin Michael Cohan, Englewood, NJ, assignor to American Production Machine Company, Union City, NJ, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 326,0dtl 3 Claims. (Cl. 2li1) My invention relates to holding fixtures and in particular provides a device for advancing an article into a rotating working path of limited length carrying the article through such limited length and then withdrawing the article from such rotating path.

It will be apparent from the following description that the device of my invention has general application for presenting an article into a working position and rotating it through a limited working path. The particular device described, with reference to the drawings, is designed for printing odd shaped labels on containers known in the trade as ovals and the following description will be confined to this context. Also, while printing can be accomplished using common techniques such as off-set printing, hot stamping and the like, the particular device described below is designed for operation with a silk screen and the following description will be also limited to this context.

In decorating ovals and other odd shaped containers heretofore, only one side has been decorated at a time with the requirement for double-handling of the item, which in many instances involves not only double handling during the printing operation but a double drying step and the like. It is thus an important object of my invention to provide a device for holding an article, such as an oval container, which can present the article to a working position, for example in contact with a silk screen, and rotate the article against the surface of the silk screen or other tool and the like requiring a progressive mating motion of the article through a limited path, for example to print or decorate one side of a container and then to withdraw the article from such working position to permit the article to be rotated to present another surface of the article toward the silk screen or other .tool and then advance the article again into its working position to permit such other surface to be decorated or otherwise Worked upon.

in general in accordance with my invention, this and other objects are obtained essentially by providing a fixture in which the article to be worked upon is retained, including a rotatable head which is mounted for rotation about a given axis and which carries a cross-head slidably mounted on it in which the article is retained. In particular the cross-head is reciprocable on the rotatable head along a path transversely positioned with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotatable head between a position generally centered on the axis in which the article is retracted from its working position and a position readily displaced from the axis of rotation of the rotatable head in which the article is in a working position.

An arrangement is provided to control the reciprocation of the cross-head on the rotatable head while the rotatable head is rotated such that the article is normally held in its retracted position and is advanced to its working position only through a limited angular position of the rotatable head. Preferably the cross-head is also reciprocable to a second working position, also radially displaced from the axis and diametrically positioned with respect to the first working position such that the article can be advanced to working position in a given rotation of the rotatable head to permit a pair of opposite sides of the article to be worked upon.

In its preferred construction in the device of my invention the article is moved between its retracted and reassess Patented June 22, 1965 working positions by means of a cam and follower arrangement such as a scotch yoke.

For a more complete understanding of the practical application of my invention, reference is made to the appended drawings in which:

FiGURE l is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention for printing or otherwise working on both sides of an odd shaped article such as an oval container, omitting supporting structure not necessary for an understanding of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation shown partly in section of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section of the apparatus taken at line 3-3 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 4-8 are a series of schematic diagrams illustrating the progressive motion of an article in decorating the article utilizing a silk screen apparatus in which the article is presented to the silk screen by an apparatus in accordance with my invention specifically adapted for receiving an oval container C and bringing each side of such container C and progressively mating each such side with a silk printing screen S (shown only diagrammatically with reference to FIGURES 4-8).

Generally device llil includes a work holder arrangement 11 mounted on a cross-head 12 carried on a rotatable head 13 mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis in a stand is.

The work holding device it includes a base support 15 shaped to receive the bottom of an oval container C which is mounted on a plate is forming a portion of cross-head 1?... Normally plate to is positioned vertically and base support 15 extends horizontally out from plate 16 such that a container C positioned with its bottom in base support 15 is in a horizontal position. In addition, work holder 11 includes a chuck 17 carried on the piston shaft 18 of an air cylinder 19 mounted on a cross-head 20 afiixed to the adjacent pair of ends of a pair of parallel tie rods 21. The other ends of tie rods 21 are mounted on plate 16 on opposite sides of base support 15 such that tie rods 21 are positioned on opposite sides of a container C positioned in base support 15. The cross-head 29, it will e noted, is positioned outwardly of plate 16 from base support 15 and air cylinder 1% is on the side of cross-head 2i) remote from base support 15 such that chuck 17 faces base support 15 such that reciprocation of piston shaft 18 to an extended position will advance chuck 17 toward base support 15 to insert the end of chuck 17 into the neck end of container C to rotate such container C firmly seated on base support 15' with the portion to be printed exposed between tie rods 21.

Cross-head 1 2, in addition to plate to mentioned above, includes a pair of guide sleeves 22 and a cam plate 23. Guide sleeves 22 are secured to opposite ends of plate 16 on the side remote from work holder 11 and are positioned such that their bores 24 are parallel and symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis of container C positioned between chuck I17 and base holder 15 and are oriented with respect to a container C in base holder 15 such that their bores 24 genera-11 extend in the same direction as the sides of the container C to the ecorated face. Cam plate 23 is secured to guide sleeves opposite plate 16 such that cam plate 23 is parallel to plate 16 on the side of plate 16 remote from base holder 15. Cam plate 23 includes an internal opening 25' defining a cam surface which is best shown in FIGURE 3 including a pair of confronting internal edges 26 which are arcuate and have the same radius, each such edge being concentric with the corresponding surface of container C to be decorated.

The cam edges 26 are, however, closely spaced to each other and do not have as a result a common center.

A pair of slots 27 are also cut into cam plate 23 at opposite ends of cam plate 23 and open interiorly into the aperture between cam edges 26 such that each slot 27 opens into such aperture between a pair of adjacent ends of edges 26. Slots 27 are thus opposite each other and are located with respect to guide sleeves 22 such that a center line through cam plate 23 centered on slots 27 intersects the axis of a container C in base support on a line perpendicular to the axes of bores 24. Cam plate 23 is moreover positioned on sleeve 22 such that its cam aperture is symmetrically disposed about the axis of a container C in support 15.

Cross-head 12 is mounted on a pair of parallel slide bars 28 which are slidably received through bores 24 of sleeves 22 and which are retained at their ends in a frame 29 of generally U shaped construction which forms rotatable head 13 and which is carried on a hub 36 of a gear 31 mounted on a shaft 32 afiixed to the structure of frame 14 such that its axis is horizontal.

Shaft 32 at its end remote from frame 14 carries an upright crank arm 33 which is positioned between the bottom of frame 29 and cam plate 23 and which has a cam follower 34 at its outer end received in cam aperture 25. In its normal position shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, cam follower 34 is bottomed in a slot 27 such that the axis of a container C received between chuck 17 and base holder 15 is centered on the axis of fixed shaft 32. Four springs 38 are received, two on each slide bar 28 on opposite sides of each sleeve 22 under slight compression such that cross-head 12 is normally biased to such centered position on slide rods 23 in which a container C in base holder 15 is axially aligned on the axis of shaft 32. A rack 35 carried on the piston shaft 36 of a double acting hydraulic cylinder 37 is positioned vertically alongside gear 31 meshing with gear 31. and is of a sufiicient length in relation to the size of gear 31 such that the assembly on gear 31 can be caused to rotate through one complete revolution as rack 35 is advanced or retracted the full length of travel of piston shaft 36.

In operation, referring to FIGURES 4-8, device 10 is positioned beneath a silk screen S mounted on a suitable apparatus for advancing screen S horizontally in timed relation to the movement of device 10, as will be described later. A container C is then placed with its bottom received in base support 1 5 and air applied to cylinder 19 to throw chuck 17 into neck N of the container C to hold the container C firmly in position. Hydraulic cylinder 37 is then actuated causing gear 31 to rotate clockwise as seen in FIGURE 1 and as is assumed in FIGURES 4-8. Initially as shown in FIGURE 4 container C is located beneath one end of screen S (the right end in FIGURE 4) and a wiper W, for example, a rubber squeegee, mounted on the end of an air cylinder is positioned immediately above screen S overlying container C. Suitably, work screen S is retained in a frame and carries the ink to be applied to container C.

As rack 35 rotates pinion 31 and hence the entire assembly mounted on head 13 the rotation of cam plate 23 causes the side of slot 27 to bear against cam follower 34 resulting in a camming action causing cross-head 12 to slide (left in FIGURE 1) on slide rods 28 carrying the container C in chuck 17 and base holder 15 to move radially outward and, as seen in FIGURE 5, upward into contact with the underside of screen S in the position of wiper W. The length of crank 33 is such that as cam follower 34 slides into a cam edge 26, that cam edge 26 is displaced from the center of rotation of head 13 a distance equal to its radius of curvature and therefore the side of container C to be decorated is likewise displaced from the center of rotation a distance equal to its radius of curvature. Hence as rack 35 continues to rotate the assembly the side of container C which is then presented in contact with the underside of screen S is carried through a rotary path in which the surface of the side is coincident with the circle of rotation of its radius of curvature.

Screen S, in a conventional manner, is at this point caused to move in the same direction as the surface of container C such that there is a progressive mating action with no relative movement between the rotating surfaces of container C and screen S. Such movement of screen S being to the right as indicated in FIGURES 5 and 6. Thus as the container continues to rotate as seen in FIGURE 6, ink is forced through screen S to print on the surface of container C which as the assembly approaches a half revolution is withdrawn from contact with screen S by the opposite slot 27 receiving cam follower 34 such that container C is withdrawn from contact with screen S as it is turned over to present its second side for decorafion (see FIGURE 7). At this point, suitably screen S movement is stopped until container C is again advanced into contact with screen S as cam follower 34 slides into the opposite cam edge 26, whereupon the opposite side of container C is printed in like manner as suggested in FIGURE 8. Advantageously after the printed container C has been withdrawn from the apparatus and a fresh container C implaced, the second container is printed by reverse operation, that is by rotation counter-clockwise as shown in FIGURES 4-8 such that the ink on screen S does not tend to pool up at one end as would happen if printing were always in the same direction.

Although I have indicated the employment of a rack and pinion device directed to drive rotatable head 13, in actual practice a fly wheel is preferably mounted on shaft 32 in order to permit synchronization of the movement of screen S With that of container C. It is also desirable to interpose a drop pin clutch between gear 31 and the pulley driving screen S in order to limit screen movement to those periods in which container C is in contact with the undersides of screen S.

I claim:

1. A device for advancing an article into a working position, rotating the article through a working path in such working posit-ion and then withdrawing the article from such working position to further rotate the article out of such working position which includes a rota-table head mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a crosshead slidably mounted on said rotatable head for reciprocation on said rotatable head along a path transversely positioned with respect to said axis between a retracted position centered on said axis and a working position radially displaced from said axis, means on said rotatable head normally biasing said cross-head to said retracted position, means for rotating said head, and control means for moving said cross-head from said retracted position to said working position as said rotatable head is advanced through a limited angular posi tion.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which said control means includes a cam on said cross-head and a follower mounted in first position angularly displaced from said axis.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which said cam and follower constitute a scotch yoke device.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,159,100 12/64 Marquiss 101-40 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR ADVANCING AN ARTICLE INTO A WORKING POSITION, ROTATING THE ARTICLE THROUGH A WORKING PATH IN SUCH WORKING POSITION AND THEN WITHDRAWING THE ARTICLE FROM SUCH WORKING POSITION TO FURTHER ROTATE THE ARTICLE OUT OF SUCH WORKING POSITION WHICH INCLUDES A ROTATABLE HEAD MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS, A CROSSHEAD SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ROTATABLE HEAD FOR RECIPROCATION ON SAID ROTATABLE HEAD ALONG A PATH TRANSVERSELY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION CENTERED ON SAID AXIS AND A WORKING POSITION RADIALLY DISPLACED FROM SAID AXIS, MEANS ON SAID ROTATABLE HEAD NORMALLY BIASING SAID CROSS-HEAD TO SAID RETRACTED 